What is it like to drive to Disneyland?

**AnotherPixie** · 06-13-2005, 08:23 PM

I'd love to hear everyone's road stories about their drive to Disneyland. The funniest things happen on our 6 hour drive to Disneyland and 6 hour drive to get home.

If you really want to know what it is like to drive down to Disneyland with children aka. spawn, take a look for yourself! Be forewarned! These are uncensored for absolutely silliness.

Spawn in Action Part One

Spawn in Action Part Two

THE NOT SO FUN THINGS
1. "Mom she's looking out my window!!!!" It's a classic complaint, especially since I am in a CRV and there are windows all around the car.

2. The crayons that the kids forget on the seat and we make a pit stop at the rest area and its off Highway 5 where the temp is lingering near 100 degrees.

3. When the sun is setting or rising and it creeps into the car, the kids try to avoid it by scooting over, the more they shrink away from it, the closer they get to each other. This starts the classic, "She's touching me!", "OWW! Your touching me!" "Stop!" "Don't!" "MOMMMM!!!"

4. The overhead light in the car, when its dark out and the kids need to turn the light on for everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. They need to adjust their socks, *flick* the light goes on. They need to adjust their seatbelt, *flick*, they think they dropped something, *flick*, they want to see if the door is locked *flick*, *flick*, *flick*. It drives me nuts!

5. The snacking. If they get bored in the car, suddenly they are hungry. "I'm hungry mommy." "Mom, I'm hungry." "There’s nothing to eat! Man!" "Mommmmm??? I'm hungry!" Ugh. Too much snacking!!!

6. The spills. Oh those fun spills. Especially when ice is involved. What is really funny is how when they spill something, they immediately say each others name in an incriminating manner. I have to really try hard not to laugh.

THE FUN THINGS
1. We all sing all our favorite Disney and Disneyland songs the whole way down. We sing and sing.

2. Hearing the kids excitement grow the closer we get to Disneyland and then when we spy the first Disneyland sign, the cheers and laughter.

3. Reminiscing about Disneyland memories, remembering special times at the park. We all take turns recalling our favorites.

4. Harris Ranch. We love stopping there. It's a tradition!

5. Stopping at particular cities along the way and gas stations. We are creatures of habit, each one has a special something we always get there or do.

6. The girls each are allowed a certain bag that holds only so many little toys. They play with these toys/figurines/Barbies on the way down. To hear them playing is hilarious. They say the cutest things!!

7. The best part is our destination of course! What could be better??

**Morrigoon** · 06-13-2005, 08:31 PM

Ahh Harris Ranch. Best bathrooms the 5 freeway has to offer.

**Am_I_Demon** · 06-13-2005, 08:38 PM

stop and go...stop and go...(i take side streets) it kinda sucks.. cause i no matter which way i go...i go where the slow people drive...and slow people in fast cars make me mad!

**Malibu Minion** · 06-13-2005, 08:44 PM

I drive all the time to Disneyland on I-5 South & I live 6 hours away. I always drive by myself and try to leave before 10am. I only stop twice on my trip to & for there. I stop in Kettlemen City (3 hours from Sac) for gas & a quick bite at a fast food place. Then again at Laval road (before the Grapevine) for more gas & a coffee at Starbucks. Then I drive all the way down the mountains, through the city and end up at Disneyland. I always get off on Ball rd and head to the Mickey & friends parking lot. I jump out of my car and walk to the Main gate or to Uva for nice cold drink with my friends who live down in Socal.

It can be boring sometimes. Theres hardly any scenery on I-5 south, just fields and cows (that smell really bad). I just take a bunch of cds with me, cuz I can't pick up any radio stations besides the Spanish music stations. I never get car sick, I just focus on the road and watch out for cops. My car is always dirty with strange orange bugs all over my windows. I have put many miles on my car the past few years. Its too expensive to fly and it takes about 11 hours on a train or bus.

**Athlonacon** · 06-13-2005, 08:59 PM

Originally Posted by AnotherPixie

2. The crayons that the kids forget on the seat and we make a pit stop at the rest area and its off Highway 5 where the temp is lingering near 100 degrees.

4. The overhead light in the car, when its dark out and the kids need to turn the light on for everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. They need to adjust their socks, *flick* the light goes on. They need to adjust their seatbelt, *flick*, they think they dropped something, *flick*, they want to see if the door is locked *flick*, *flick*, *flick*. It drives me nuts!

LOL, #2 is quite possibly the funniest thing I've read in a long time. It seems that kids are always forgetting about the most destructive things. And it never fails that the temperature is so hot once they forget about it.

I'd say #4 comes from the childlike fascination with lightswitches in a car. There's something about them that's irresistible to kids. I guess it kind of gives them a sense of control in a car where they have no control over much of anything. It's like their own little personal part of the car that they can control themselves. Backseat stereo buttons are much the same way unfortunately. It's like the carmakers are just itching to torment parents on a long drive.

**WRDup** · 06-13-2005, 09:11 PM

Living so close to Disneyland I cant really think of anything great that happens on the way there or home.
The 91 fwy westbound from the Inland Empire is horrific, unless you catch it during the small window of time that theres no one driving it (this is completely unpredictable) the drive sucks.
Sometimes seeing a really bad accident makes the wait worth while.
We do however try to listen to the whole Disneyland soundtrack on the way there, to get us pumped up.
But most times we'll be hanging out doing something in the area and we stop in to Disneyland as a way to close out the night. You know... go out with a bang.
I sleep during most of the 40 min drive home.

**figment1986** · 06-13-2005, 09:32 PM

hour something to WDW for me...

I-75 south to I-4 east to WDW.... never fails their is a traffic slowdown in polk county or oceola...

bring me a radio with a station i can get all the time.. 93.3 flz... or 97.9 98 rock... hehe

or i get the Cd player out and listen to Disney CDs..

construction and traffic is I-4... for over 10 years... I never remembered a time it was nice drive.. or no construction...

**Disneykat** · 06-13-2005, 09:35 PM

Hmmm, taking someone who has never been there is always my favorite drive!!!

**chadb14** · 06-13-2005, 09:37 PM

My kids are a little older, so they go off into there MP3 player or Gameboy induced worlds. My wife plays the DJ and cycles through an endless supply of 80's music (punk and alternative mostly). We hit I-5 S at about 6:30am and roll from the Bay Area to the hotel. We usually stop 2X where depends on who has to PEE at what point. Once we get down there we take a day to swim etc. 2-3 days in the park and back onto I-5 N. Stop for gas 2X wherever and then keep rolling. Get home and pass out. That is one boring drive. I definetly agree with MALIBU MINION when it comes to the smelly cows and empty fields, but the drive is worth the reward.

**AStarOnMars** · 06-13-2005, 09:52 PM

My bf and I drive up from San Diego ...

one time driving back we wanted to stop and eat ... which means a meal at Denny's ... this was about 12 midnight ... so we are driving home going south on the 5 ... every time we saw a Denny's it was on the opposite side we were driving ... we got off the freeway 3 times and tried to cross over to get to one of the Denny's but we couldn't figure out how to get to the Denny's after we exited ... I kept laugh ... which made my bf mad ... which made me laugh more ... we final found one on our side of the freeway

**ZombieBunny8mBrain** · 06-13-2005, 09:53 PM

For me to get to The Land I leave my home-like place, walk to the bus stop, wait, get on bus, get off at Harbor Blvd. wait or run depending on if the bus is already there, get on and sit, take out cd player to drownd out all other noise, get off bus in front of Disneyland Resort, put cd player back in lunchbox. it usually takes about a half hour to get there depending on how bad traffic is... i dont drive its too scary with all the other insane driving people out there.

**Jennidisneyfer** · 06-13-2005, 10:08 PM

The 6 hour drive sucks, but my husband can make it in 5 1/2 -including bathroom breaks! He always drives (we both prefer it that way) and we always stop at the Starbucks just before the grapevine.
Driving that far w/ kids sucks too. We try to go super early a.m. so they'll sleep. GameBoy is a life-saver. Flying rocks if you can afford it.

**LightBeer** · 06-13-2005, 10:13 PM

I can make it in 5 hours and I did just that today. I found out my truck has that chip in it that shuts the engine off if you go over 100 mph. Also Visalia smells like poo!

**Jennidisneyfer** · 06-13-2005, 10:15 PM

Lightbeer, did you and your cardboard friend have a nice trip?

**uvsc_wolverine** · 06-13-2005, 11:03 PM

Try doing this as a 12-hour trip. All the way from central Utah. However, I don't have any kids, it's usually just me and a couple of friends. We run out of things to talk about within 2 or 3 hours, and just kind of live with being bored for the rest of the day.